Shūsuke Fuji
Shūsuke Fuji (不二 周助, Fuji Shūsuke) is one of the Prince of Tennis characters. His name is romanized as Syusuke Fuji in the Japanese anime, and Shūsuke Fuji in all the English versions. Background Shūsuke Fuji is a third year student at Seishun Academy. He is given the title "tensai", or genius, due to his tactical skill on the tennis court. He is in the same class as Eiji Kikumaru, and is Eiji's good friend. Fuji is a leap year baby (February 29), and thus he can only properly celebrate his birthday once every four years. Fuji is cheerful and easygoing, though sometimes called sadistic because of his tendency to playfully tease those around him. He is the middle child of the Fuji family. His unnamed father is a foreign-based employee, and is never seen in the series. His mother, 49-year-old Yoshiko, who also has perpetually-closed eyes, is seen in the manga as a kind and dedicated Japanese housewife. His younger brother, Yūta, is a tennis player at St.Rudolph. Fuji's older sister, 24-year-old Yumiko, is considered very attractive and is popular among both Fuji and Yūta's friends. He grew up in Chiba, where he became friends with Kojirō Saeki, the current vice-captain of Rokkaku Middle School Tennis Club. Later on, he moved to Tokyo and entered Seigaku. Fuji usually takes the position of S2 (Singles 2), although sometimes he is paired with Kawamura Takashi or Kikumaru Eiji in Doubles (with Kikumaru, they are called the "Dream Pair"). Also, he and Echizen Ryoma temporarily take turns for the position of S1 (Singles 1) when captain Tezuka Kunimitsu is in rehabilitation. Appearance Personality History Two years Prior To The Storyline Two years prior to the start of the series, Fuji along with Tezuka Kunimitsu and Inui Sadaharu stood out amongst the other members of the school. As it stated before in the anime that Seigaku were a Prefectural level school during that time. In an OVA the three of them are seen defeating their senpais with relative ease, and it is mentioned by Kawamura how amazing they were along with Oishi never losing in Doubles and Kikumaru's acrobatic ability. Fuji challenges Tezuka to a match as Tezuka claimed his arm was fine. Fuji annihalates him 6-0 and realizes his arm must still be injured for such a win to happen. Fuji is completely mad at Tezuka and the two promise each other another match eventually. One Year Prior To The Storyline Fuji is stated in the Databook to have been a regular during this time. Current Year Fuji is first introduced in the series along with all of the other Seigaku regulars and is shown easily winning in his Intra-School ranking matches and is seen with the other regulars impressed with Ryoma Echizen as he pulls of huge upset defeats upon his arrival in beating Kaoru Kaido and Inui. Districts During the Tokyo Quarter-finals, Fuji was schedeuled to play in the singles 1 slot against Gyokurin. He won the match easily with a 6-0. During the finals, Fuji played in the doubles 2 slot along with Kawamura. This is where Fuji revealed his first counter of the Triple Counters, The Swallow Return (Tsubame Gaeshi). Fuji decided to forfeit the match after seeing Kawamura return the Hadoukyu. Prefecturals During the Quarter-finals, Fuji was pitted against the school of his younger brother, St. Rudolph. He played in the singles 2 slot against Mizuki. At first, he made it look like he was losing but he defeated him 7-5. Mizuki was furios because Fuji was toying with him. In the finals, Seigaku played against Yamabuki Middle School. He played in the doubles 2 slot with Kawamura against Nitobe and Kita. They lost 3-6. Regionals In the first round of the Regionals, Seigaku played against Hyotei Academy. Fuji played in the singles 2 slot against the person who defeated his younger brother in a mere 15 minutes, Jiro. He easily won the match after not allowing jiro to reach the net, 6-1. In the Quarter-finals, Seigaku played against Josei Shonan (Midoriyama in the Manga). He was in the Singles 1 spot, but did not have the opportunity to play since Seigaku won three of the matches already. The semi-finals were against Rokkaku Middle School. Fuji played in the doubles 1 slot along with his classmate Eiji. They played against Fuji's childhood friend, Saeki, and his partner Itsuki. They won 6-2 after Fuji realised how to make a perfect Tsubami Gaeshi by making Itsuki hit Cord Balls and adding more spin using his racket. During the finals agaist Rikkaidai, Fuji played in the singles 2 slot against the second year ace, Akaya. Fuji was injured multiple times but he did not care about his own well-being but for others. After seeing Tachibana get aimed by a Knuckle Serve by Akaya, he was so angry that he began to play seriously (not as serious when he played against Tezuka). He used all his triple counters against Akaya, finishing the match with Hakugei and lecturing hin that tennis should not be used to breed hatred. He won 6-4. Nationals Initially Seigaku's 3 strongest before Echizen arrived.jpg|Seigaku's Strongest 3 seniors. Fuji in action2.jpg Seigaku regulars watching.jpg Fuji and the rest of the Seigaku team arrive at the Nationals and witness the straight set demolition of Rokkaku by Higa, who are set to be their first opponents of the tournament. He plays in Doubles 2 with Kawamura against Chinen Hiroshi/Hirakoba Rin pair. They eventually won 7-5. Fuji is rested during the match against Hyotei in the Quarterfinals. It is the first time that he was placed as a reserve player. Fuji plays in Singles 3 in the Semifinals against Shiraishi Kuranosuke of Shitenhouji. He lost after a heated match 6-7. U-17 Camp Fuji along with the rest of the Seigaku regulars and several other middle schoolers recieve invites to the All-Japan Junior Training Camp. Which for the first time, allowed Middle Schoolers to compete for Representative places along with High Schoolers. Fuji like all the 50 middle schoolers, was able to obtain a ball that fell from the helicopter where the conditions were those without a ball must go home. Afterwards, the Mental Coach arrives and asks individuals to pair up. Fuji pairs up with his younger brother Yuuta. The Mental Coach coldly requests all pairs to play short tie-break games. The loser of the tie-break games must go home. Fuji effortlessly beats his younger brother however his Yuuta is pleased his older brother played properly. Later on, Yuuta is taken to the mountains to train while Shusuke defeats his next High School opponent(s) to become a member of the 6th Court. Fuji looks on as part of the large audience of the Team Shuffle between 5th Court and 3rd Court where the 5th Court became victors and swapped places with the latter. Afterwards, he and Tezuka have their promised match after Tezuka unlocks Muga no Kyouchi: Tenimuhou no Kiwami. Fuji is unable to match this like all other players in the series and is effortlessly defeated by Tezuka, the first time in the series that Fuj was shown to be effortlesesly defeated. Fuji returns back to the Team Shuffle with Kikumaru Eiji who witnessed the match between his teammates while Tezuka goes off to Germany. The middle schoolers then get involved in a massive pillow fight. Fuji is then present at the camp for the return of the Top 10 and the shock upset news that No.s 11-19 have all been replaced by Middle Schoolers. Playing Style and Techniques Fuji is a counterpuncher, playing a steady game and attacking at the right time. Most of his techniques are designed to specifically counter an opponent's strength, which gives him the title of a genius. Serve And Volley After facing Jirou in the Hyotei arc, Fuji sometimes during matches might change his play stlye to serve and volley. Though he is not nearly as good as a regular serve and volley player, he still can do it. Counters Sometimes called the "Three Counter Moves" (or more often called the Triple Counters). Game sealing returns, the counters are techniques that could only be pulled off by a genius like Shūsuke Fuji. Each counter has a very low chance of being returned. Later on in the series, during the Nationals, Fuji upgrades his Triple Counters and reveals more counters: Kagerō Zutsumi, Hecatoncheires no Monban and Hoshi Hanabi. Although Fuji develops six counters, his set of counters is still called "Triple Counters". Fuji's first four counters are based on animals: Tsubame Gaeshi: Swallow; Higuma Otoshi: Brown Bear; Hakugei: Whale; Kagerō Zutsumi: Dragonfly. When Fuji "evolves" his Triple Counters, which were displayed when he played against the captain of Shitenhouji in the national semifinals, their new names are based on mythical creatures: Houou Gaeshi: Phoenix; Kirin Otoshi: Qilin; Hakuryu: Dragon. ;Tsubame Gaeshi (つばめ返し, Tsubame Gaeshi, trans. "Swallow Return") :The first of Fuji's counters to be shown and the one he is often most associated with. Fuji utilizes his opponent's topspin by returning the ball with an extreme slice that doubles the amount of spin. The slice combines with the topspin and causes the ball to dip toward the ground and continue rolling across the court without a bounce. This counter is legendary in that once it is hit, the game is sealed. However, Tsubame Gaeshi can still be returned if it is hit before it touches the ground, which only a handful of players have succeeded in doing. :Fuji's counters can be sealed when an opponent can hit "sinkers", which are balls without spin. Fuji can still hit an incomplete Tsubame Gaeshi by rolling the ball with his racket, adding some spin to hit a heavy slice, but it is not complete, as the ball does not have enough spin to roll across the court, and will still have a slight bounce. However, Fuji can then utilize the net to force the opponent to hit cord balls (balls that hit the top of the net before going in), which forces the ball to spin, and along with rolling the ball with his racket, he can pull off a perfect Tsubame Gaeshi. :In his match against Tezuka, Fuji uses the Tsubame Gaeshi in a reverse manner, dubbed the Reverse Tsubame Gaeshi (リバースつばめ返し). Instead of adding backspin to an opponent's topspin shot, Fuji adds extreme topspin to a slice/backspin shot. This also causes the ball to simply roll along the ground, like the original Tsubame Gaeshi, making it almost impossible to return. ;Higuma Otoshi (羆落とし, Higuma Otoshi, trans. "Bear Drop") :By quickly rotating his body, Fuji uses centripetal force to absorb the force of any overhead smash; he then returns the ball with a lob that almost always lands on the opponent's baseline. :This counter is first broken by Echizen Ryoma, who hits cord balls to change the trajectory of his smash, therefore altering the position of Fuji's lob and forcing the ball out. Powerful smashes can also overpower the centrifugal force used to nullify the force of a smash. In the first round of the National Tournament, the Shukuchihō technique of Higa Chuu renders the counter useless, as Higa players can move from the baseline to the net and vice versa in "one step". ;Hakugei (白鯨, Hakugei, trans. "White Whale") :Fuji's third counter, Hakugei is a super slice lob with such extreme backspin that as soon as it passes over the net on to the opposite court, it curves upwards out of sight, than it falls straight down (usually on the baseline), and it flies back to Fuji's hand. However, Fuji needs wind to use the Hakugei.It is first shown during Fuji's match against Hyōtei's Akutagawa Jirō. Hakugei can be returned if the opponent is fast enough to hit the ball as it flies back to Fuji's hand. Fuji can also change the direction of the ball after it hits the opponent's court, either to go with the direction of the wind or to lessen the chance of a return. :In the anime, Fuji changes the direction in his match against Tezuka, where Tezuka approaches the net to wait for the technique, but Fuji adapts and the ball instead flies into the net away from Tezuka. :Hakugei is completely broken by Shiraishi Kuranosuke's Perfect Tennis when he changes the direction of how he returns the ball by 90 degrees, hitting it softly in a lateral way. ; Fourth Counter - Kagerō Zutsumi (蜉蝣包み, Kagerō Zutsumi, lit. Dragonfly Illusion) :Fuji's fourth counter, Kagerō Zutsumi uses both hands as he brings his racket down in an overhead swing that both contains and nullifies all spin on the ball. The ball is then returned devoid of spin, and gives the other player the illusion that the ball is farther than it actually is. :This counter is first revealed in Seigaku's first Doubles match with Kawamura against Higa Chū in the National Tournament. However, Kagerō Zutsumi is apparently useless against Kuranosuke Shiraishi's Perfect Tennis as the returning ball without spin comes to Shiraishi's court very slowly and he simply smashes the ball to win the point. ;Hōō Gaeshi (鳳凰返し, Hōō Gaeshi, lit. Phoenix Return) : The upgraded version of Tsubame Gaeshi, Hōō Gaeshi is one of the 3 upgraded techniques of the Triple Counters that Fuji creates in his match against Kuranosuke Shiraishi in the Nationals. Unlike Tsubame Gaeshi, Hōō Gaeshi sinks at a higher rate and is closer to the net, thus making it much harder to return before it lands. :Hōō Gaeshi is first defeated by Niō Masaharu in Tezuka's form; like the Tsubame Gaeshi, the ball can be returned by hitting the ball before it touches the ground. : ;Kirin Otoshi (麒麟落とし, Kirin Otoshi, lit. Kirin/Qilin Drop) : The upgraded version of Higuma Otoshi. The only visible difference from this technique is that Fuji uses two hands to repel Shiraishi's smash rather than the one handed Higuma Otoshi. In the OVA, it reaches the opponent's baseline much faster than Higuma Otoshi. :Kirin Otoshi is first defeated by Niō Masaharu, who uses Tezuka's form to return the ball by using the Tezuka Zone to make the ball enter his side rather than letting it go to his baseline. : ;Hakuryū (白'龍', Hakuryū, lit. White Dragon) :The upgraded version of Hakugei. Unlike Hakugei, Hakuryū rises much higher into the sky. Instead of spinning backwards to Fuji, the ball will bounce towards the sides. :Hakuryū is first defeated by Niou Masaharu, who uses Tezuka's form and returns the ball by smashing it before it bounces. : ; Fifth Counter - Hecatoncheires no Monban (百腕巨人の門番, Hekatonkeiru no Monban, lit. Gate Keeper of Hecatoncheires) :Fuji's fifth counter (first stated to be his "final" counter), Hecatoncheires no Monban, is actually translated to "The Hundred Armed Giant", but this is a title from Greek Mythology, and thus kept with the name "Gate Keeper of Hecatoncheires". :Using the reverse side of the racket, Fuji uses the slide of the oncoming ball over the gut and forcing a super spin to the ball. Then by instantaneously reversing his wrist and using the other side of the racket, he doubles the spin yet again. The way this counter works is from the extreme underspin Fuji creates, forcing the ball being returned back to him being a topspin, and topspins have a faster sink, making the ball sink before it passes the net. :Shiraishi Kuranosuke manages to overcome the tremendous spin of the ball and breaks this counter by creating a counter-spin on the ball just strong enough for the ball to go beyond the net as a cord ball. : ; Sixth Counter - Hoshi Hanabi (星花火, Hoshi Hanabi, lit. Star Fireworks) :Hoshi Hanabi is Fuji's sixth counter. He reveals it during the Singles 2 match against Rikkai Dai's Niō Masaharu in the National Finals. :When the opponent hits a cord ball as a result of returning Hecatoncheires no Monban, Fuji responds by launching the ball straight into the sky, out of anyone's field of vision. Due to a certain wind, the ball will then crash land at a very high speed with an irregular spin and it will bounce to any side. He first used this technique in his match against Shitenhōji's Shiraishi on his last shot but the shot was out. The name of the technique was not yet revealed that time. :According to Sadaharu Inui, Hoshi Hanabi can be performed by Fuji because he can read the wind. Serves ;Disappearing Serve (消えるサーブ) : Otherwise known as a "cut-serve", but because Fuji spins the ball as he drops it, this particular underhand serve makes the ball also disappears. While not as fast or powerful as most serves, many players are caught off guard by the way the ball abruptly "cuts" to the left (the returner's right), and in a sense "disappears". Fuji first uses this move when he faces Jirō Akutagawa from Hyōtei Academy. :The Disappearing Serve is completely broken by Shiraishi's Perfect Tennis during the National Semifinals. ;Knuckle Serve (anime only) (ナックルサーブ) :This move is shown when Fuji is playing Akaya Kirihara from Rikkai Dai in the anime. Due to the fact that Fuji is angry, he uses the Knuckle Serve to take revenge. Before the user throws the ball in the air, the user squeezes the ball first to add an extreme and unpredictable spin. Its direction can only be seen by the one who served it. Others Closed Eye (心の瞳) : A state that sharpens Fuji's abilities greatly. In the manga, Fuji used it first at Kantō Finals during his match with Kirihara after he blinded him with a smash. But it's at the National Finals in his match against Niō Masaharu when Fuji refines his "Closed Eye" mode, even being able to aim for a cord ball and break all of Tezuka's techniques, including Hyaku Ren Jitoku and Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami. Upper Body Split Step (anime only) :This move was created out of need at the Kantō Tournament finals during his match with Kirihara who hurt Fuji's knee. The difference in speed allows Fuji to cover the court more effectively. Tennis Record Tournament Matches *'NOTE-1' The match against Midoriyama only took place in the manga, while Jōsei Shōnan's match existed only in the anime. *'NOTE 2' No results due to Seigaku already winning 3 sets *'NOTE-3' In the manga, Fuji won with the score of 7-5, while in the anime, Fuji won with the score of 6-4. U-17 Camp Results Trivia *The kanji for Fuji (不二) stands for 'not second', 'unparalleled', or 'peerless'. His name can also be seen as a bit of a pun when his hobbies and favorite foods are taken into account; Fujifilm is the world's largest photographic and imaging company, and one of Fuji's hobbies is photography. Fuji apples are a type of apple, and they are one of Fuji's favorite foods. *In a chibi episode and in TeniPuri family, Fuji is portrayed as a woman, playing off on his somewhat feminine looks. In the TeniPuri family episodes, he is the sweet yet impulsive Grandmother of the family and is often paired up with Tezuka, who plays the Grandfather. In the other Tenipuri chibi episode, settled in the Far West, he plays a damsel in distress-type girl searching for a Lone Gunman who later turns out to be Tezuka. *In all the Shonen Jump character popularity poll of series, Fuji has remained in the top two. Besides the second character popularity poll, where Fuji came in first place, Fuji has come in second place in every other poll. *Fuji's popularity has only risen as he came in joint first of the 1st New Prince of Tennis character popularity poll. *In addition, in the Valentine Chocolate specials of the manga, Fuji has constantly been in the top three recipients of chocolate, including receiving the most in 2001, with the exception of the years 2005 and 2006. *Fuji is one of the few male characters in the anime who is voiced by a female voice actor, others being Ryoma Echizen, Kintarō Tōyama of Shitenhōji, Taichi Dan of Yamabuki, Yōhei and Kōhei Tanaka of Jōsei Shonan (the latter two being anime only characters), and Seiichi Yukimura of Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku. However, Ryoma, Kintarō and Taichi are first years, thus younger and more naturally voiced by a female seiyū, but despite Fuji and Yukimura being third years, they are also voiced by female seiyū. *In the Japanese original, both Fuji and his sister Yumiko are voiced by Yuki Kaida. *For the live-action adaptation film of The Prince of Tennis, Tenimyu actor Hiroki Aiba portrays Fuji. *In The Prince of Tennis Musical, Fuji is portrayed by actors Kimeru (2003-2005), Takashi Nagayama (2003-2004), Hiroki Aiba (2005-2007, 2008), Yūta Furukawa (2007-2009), Hashimoto Taito (2008-2010), and Ryou Mitsuya (2010-present). *His favorite brand of tennis shoes are Nike (NIKE READY AIR BISCAYNE MID III). *His favorite brand of tennis racquet is Prince (Michael Chang Titanium). *His favorite foods are apples, Cajun Cuisine, spicy ramen noodles, and Wasabi-filled sushi. *Fuji's hobbies include collecting/taking care of cactus, photography, and billiards. *His favorite school subject is Classic Literature *His favorite color is beige. *His blood type is B. *Despite being a third year student he is one of the shortest members in Seigaku with a height of 167 cm (5'6" ft). He is also slightly smaller than his younger brother, Yuuta. *His Zodiac sign is Pisces. *Fuji is shown to possess skills on the piano as shown in Another Story 2. *Fuji has a tendency to borrow items that have earned honor. For example, he borrows Taka's racket after Taka played honorably and he borrows Tachibana's grip tape after Tachibana tried hard to beat Rikkai Dai but sprained his ankle instead. *Fuji is the youngest of the third year Seigaku regulars. Gallery 0ad694ca8df990_full.jpg 5069daed5b8d00_full.jpg Lady Fuji 2.jpg|Fuji in the Western episode Grandma Fuji.jpg|Fuji as the grandmother of the Tenipuri Family. 24.jpg Category: Characters Category:Tennis Player Category:Seigaku Tennis Club Member Category:Middle Schooler Category:3rd Year Middle School Category:Counterpuncher Category:Right-Handed Category:U-17 Camp Category:Tokyo Players Category:Kanto Players Category:Has an episode named after them